Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar is thrilled about Rohit Sharma's choice to play in Mumbai's upcoming Ranji Trophy match. At the press conference for the Champions Trophy squad announcement, Rohit revealed he’ll be taking the field against Jammu and Kashmir starting January 23. The dynamic opener has had a rough few months in red-ball cricket, struggling with his performance against New Zealand and Australia, which led to series losses for India.

On the tour of Australia, he only scored 31 runs in five innings over three Tests. This was followed by a tough home season in 2023-24, where he averaged just 13.30 in ten innings against Bangladesh and New Zealand.

Gavaskar, who previously encouraged Indian batters to focus on domestic cricket after the BGT disappointment, praised Rohit's decision, emphasizing that playing a real match is far more beneficial than just practicing in the nets.

Absolutely, it's a positive sign because, let's face it, he struggled in Australia, so he realizes he needs to spend more time in the game. No matter how much net practice or throwdowns you do, nothing compares to actually batting in a match, feeling the ball hit the bat, and knowing that one mistake could send you packing. Scoring runs under that kind of pressure is a whole different ball game, Sunil Gavaskar shared with India Today.

The cricket legend pointed out that practicing in the nets doesn't always help a player find their rhythm since the pressure isn't the same.

“In the nets, you might get caught out 20 times, but you can still keep batting for 20 or 40 minutes. You can keep getting out in practice, but that doesn’t really help because there’s no real pressure to perform or defend your wicket. In a match, that pressure is totally different,” he explained.

I'm really glad to see that Rohit Sharma…

He also pointed out that heading straight to the side nets after getting out in a game doesn’t really do much good.

"What should really happen is if you’re not scoring runs, you should head to the nets nearby. Nowadays, most grounds have nets set up next to the field, so if you struggle with the bat during a match, you can jump into the nets and work on your rhythm. But nothing beats the experience of playing in a real match. I'm really glad to hear that Rohit Sharma plans to participate in the Trophy," Gavaskar mentioned.

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